by Breanna Reeves
California is leading the charge in a lawsuit against the Trump administration for illegally sharing personal health data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).California Attorney General Rob Bonta is part of a coalition of 19 other state attorneys general who are challenging the Trump administration’s decision to give ICE access to personal health data, news that was first reported by the Associated Press last month.
The multistate lawsuit argues that the transfer of personal and sensitive health data violates the law, and has requested that the court block any new transfer or use of this data for immigration enforcement purposes.
“The Trump Administration has upended longstanding privacy protections with its decision to illegally share sensitive, personal health data with ICE. In doing so, it has created a culture of fear that will lead to fewer people seeking vital emergency medical care,” stated Bonta.
“I’m sickened by this latest salvo in the President’s anti-immigrant campaign. We’re headed to court to prevent any further sharing of Medicaid data — and to ensure any of the data that’s already been shared is not used for immigration enforcement purposes.”
The lawsuit alleges that sharing personal health data is an illegal action that is creating fear, which will lead to noncitizens and their family members refusing to enroll in emergency Medicaid. The personal health data accessed by DHS came from California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C.
California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, provides healthcare coverage to nearly 15 million residents, including more than two million noncitizens. Noncitizens include green card holders, refugees, individuals who hold temporary protected status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients. Though not all noncitizens are eligible for Medi-Cal services, California uses state-only funds to provide a version of the Medi-Cal program to all eligible state residents, regardless of their immigration status through Covered California.
In late June, however, CA Gov. Gavin Newsom reversed course on several strategies when he signed this year’s budget. In order to close the state’s $12 billion deficit, California’s landmark health care expansion for low-income adult immigrants who do not have legal status was among the initiatives impacted by the cuts.
But with the recent passage of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” which seeks to gut Medicaid and add specific work eligibility requirements, health advocates say many vulnerable residents, including citizens and noncitizens, are at risk of losing health coverage.
The passage of Trump’s bill by both the Senate and House is another step toward this administration reshaping America’s health policies, among other policies.
